Ridski

Is that a "Mickey D's" vs. "Mackie-D's" argument, perchance?

another bloody yank

Mc=mick and Mac=mack, right?

Ridski

No. McDonald and MacDonald are pronounced the same way.

McIntosh and Mackintosh are also pronounced the same way.

As a McIntyre, and not a Mickintyre, I just thought I'd share that with you.

CitySimon

I always seem to come across the Brits when I visit NYC... As for an exact number: Try the Census Bureau. They have a lot of information from the 2000census which includes where a person was born.

another bloody yank

Well mickintyre would sound weird. So there is no mick? At all? All Mc and Mac sound the same?

Ridski

In original parlance, i.e., Ireland and Scotland, yes. Even President Bush would have been hard-pressed to nickname Scott McClellan "Mick" instead of "Mack". Even the movie that's basically 1.5 hours of product placement for McDonald's, Mac And Me, doesn't call the weird alien thing Mick.

Where Mickey D's came from, though, I honestly don't know. The Mick or Muck sound is an Americanization, from what I can gather. Everyone I've ever known growing in England and my Scottish family would always pronounce the Mack in McDonald's.

Forgive me also if this is starting to sound snobbish. Americans are free to pronounce stuff anyway they want to (and generally do... ), but in terms of the homeland that pronunciation doesn't work.

There is also the myth that McNames come from Ireland and MacNames come from Scotland, too. That isn't true either.

lapin_windstar

More like MuckDonald's around here...

Ridski

Apt burger description. Thanks. May I keep it?

Bill_S

I usually call it McDogFood's. Whether it's Mick or Mack pales in significance.